There ’s a understanding everyone wants to save the bee . They pollinate our crops , give ushoney , and inspiremedical research . Now , they ’re helping scientist figure out how to make strong adhesives — an endeavor that could improve everything from construction materials to the mundane glues we utilize .
As part of a unexampled study , researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology analyse the methods by whichhoney beesget gruelling package of pollen to adhere to their hind legs . Two of these “ pollen pellets ” can weigh more than a one-quarter of a bee ’s trunk mass , so it ’s essential that these parcel stay on properly secured while a doer bee fly back to its hive . “ Pollen is a significant alimental source for bees and their effective appeal and transport is essential for both the flora and animal ’s survival , ” the researchers wrote in their study , which was shop at by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and published this week in the journalNature Communications .
To keep their precious cargo from being compromise in a violent storm or humid weather , the bees apply a miscellanea of expectoration and flower fossil oil to create an efficient , water supply - resistant adhesive material . By drinking nectar , they are able-bodied to excrete a sugary spit that bandage the pollen grain together . The industrial plant - based oil , call off pollenkitt , is also applied to keep the adhesive properties of the nectar intact while shielding the pollen from humidness .
“ It works similarly to a layer of cooking oil colour covering a puddle of sirup , ” J. Carson Meredith , a professor in Georgia Tech ’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering said in astatement . “ The oil separates the sirup from the air travel and slows down drying considerably . ”
This could have a number of practical applications . “ tape , glue , adhesive sealants , and even caulks used in humid surround either in construction or in consumer products would do better were they able-bodied to withstand changes to humidity , ” Meredith tells Mental Floss .
It is n’t entirely strange for scientists to examine animals in hopes of yielding “ bioinspired ” product that mime the rude processes they ’re base on . For model , in2014Stanford scientists created gecko - cheer adhesives that can help man wax chicken feed walls .
